Characteristics of a subterranean formation are important in many fields. Seismic properties, hydrogeologic properties, and constituents found within a subterranean formation may be of interest for a number of useful pursuits.
For instance, water and associated contaminants may seep into the ground and travel through a subterranean region known as the vadose zone (a region of unsaturated soil). Water and associated contaminant movement within the vadose zone may influence, to a large degree, a quantity of contamination (such as gasoline additives, agricultural chemicals, or buried waste leakage) that may be distributed in a water supply (such as an aquifer). Therefore, gaining an understanding of how the water and associated contaminants move in the vadose zone may be valuable for waste containment efforts. Moreover, understanding how fluids travel through a soil region may be an important aspect of environmental studies and may be helpful in developing improved irrigation. Information regarding the movement of water and associated contaminants in a vadose zone is generally acquired through the use of conventional subterranean probes or other devices.
For instance, several conventional apparatuses and methods have been used to facilitate such testing and information gathering. More specifically, conventionally, devices such as tensiometers and vapor samplers have been employed for indicating a subterranean characteristic, respectively. Further, with regard to sampling subterranean liquids, various methods and apparatus have been employed, including extraction of a soil core, introduction of vacuum-based or absorptive devices or materials, use of suction lysimeters, solution samplers, and other methods. Although there are several types of lysimeters, the term “lysimeter,” as used herein refers to a device for sampling subterranean liquids, without limitation. Other conventional apparatus may involve testing soil moisture or other parameters.
Another problem associated with conventional hydrogeological sensors may be fragility. Often, conventional hydrogeological sensors are made of ceramic, tin, copper, plastics, or similar such materials and cannot be installed directly through difficult materials such as hardened soils, concrete, steel, other metals, or waste products. Further, even if a conventional hydrogeological sensor is successfully placed within a subterranean region, it may not easily be repaired or replaced.
Also, placing conventional probes into a contaminated subterranean formation for data collection may not be desirable, because the placing of conventional probes may often require drilling or coring which would bring contaminated “cuttings” to the surface and may also allow contaminated emissions to escape from the hole which is drilled. As a result, in one approach, conventional test probes may typically be placed in areas distal or peripheral to contaminated sites. Unfortunately, such probe placement only provides information when a contaminant has migrated outside of the waste disposal site area. As a further disadvantage, when a contaminant has migrated outside of the waste disposal site area, it is likely that a major contaminant plume may already exist, thus making potential remediation and containment efforts more difficult and costly.
Thus, some conventional apparatuses have been developed for addressing the above-mentioned difficulties. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,476 to Hubbell, assigned to the assignee of the present invention and the disclosure of which is incorporated, in its entirety, by reference herein, discloses a monitoring well including a conduit having a coupler which allows for assembly of a number of different monitoring devices within the monitoring well. However, a borehole must be drilled for disposing the conduit therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,826,972 to Clark, assigned to the assignee of the present invention and the disclosure of which is incorporated, in its entirety, by reference herein, discloses a suction lysimeter for sampling subterranean liquids wherein the casing may be driven (e.g., by direct push, sonic drilling, etc.) into a subterranean formation. However, the function of the apparatus disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,826,972 to Clark is limited to a lysimeter.
In view of the foregoing, it would be highly desirable to provide improved methods and apparatuses which facilitate subterranean interaction, testing, or sampling in either contaminated or non-contaminated subterranean regions, while substantially avoiding these and other shortcomings of conventional apparatuses and methods.